When I bought my house we remodeled the kitchen and bathroom. When we did the bathroom we were running low on $ b/c of the kitchen. Because of this we decided to try to keep the bathroom fairly cheap and we did not rip out the bathtub and shower walls. Now we want to rip out the tub and re-tile the walls. Considering this is our only bathroom our first idea was having re-bath or bathfitters come out and do their one day deal…well that was like $4K for a coverup job and I refuse to pay that.
Now we decided to rip out the old tub and walls and replace it. I do not trust myself with the plumbing and would rather have a “pro” do the walls b/c this is a shower/tub and I do not want any water leaks. My neighbor is a contractor and he is going to do a lot of the work for me. He said odds are putting in a new tub will mean putting in a new floor. After talking yesterday we agreed that if I took down the shower wall down to the studs he would charge me $800 to do the rest including the cost to lay a new floor…and me supplying the material of course. Then if I did the floor then he would knock off another $150 (so $650 for his labor now)…so I was pretty happy with that. Then he said when he rips out the tub and puts int he new one he has a plumber come in and help take out the new tub, install the new tub and change around the plumbing…and his charge is $500. I thought that was a little steep for one day of work where he would have help the entire time…and considering I will have the walls cleared out. I talked to my neighbor about how hard it would be to get the old tub out and he said it wouldn’t be that hard at all. He just did a house up the street with the same tub and it came out no problem.
My question is, does this sound like a fair/good deal. I think my neighbor is giving me a fair/good deal, but I am not too sure about his plumber. $500 to install a new tub seems like a lot. I was thinking the range of $250-$300 since I will have the walls all tore out. My neighbor said if I have my own plumber it shouldn’t be a problem and he will try to work with him to set up a time where they both can be there.
In all honesty, that is a pretty good price. I did the bath/tub in my house last year, and it ended up being a pain in the ass.
I did all the plumbing myself, which consisted of going from 2 knobs and faucet at the bottom to a center water control and faucet. The job itself in the end wasn’t that hard, but I had never done plumbing before so it was about a 5 day job to learn how to solder right, using the right seal for the threads, cutting the pipe properly etc etc. Looking back I would def. do it myself, but if you never have before and you want to get it done quickly and effeciently, it’s worth the money to pay someone.
Demolition to get all that stuff out is easy. Cut the main water or shut off valves to the bathroom. Then just start tearing out the walls. I was able to get everything out in a couple of hours (wish I would’ve taken pics). It may take 2 people to pull the tub out though, depending how it’s installed.
That really doesn’t sound like a bad price to have it all done, but if you wanna cough up the money for a good hammer and pry bar, you can save some dough by doing the demo work yourself.
that’s really not a bad price at all. I am just finishing a bath remodel.
I gutted the room, took everything but the ceiling out. I installed a new subfloor, and did all the drywall. I had a contractor come in and set the tub, install a new toilet flange, replumb the bath (convert from two handle to single) lay the tile floor and the shower walls, they also installed the exhaust fan and two roof vents (the master bath I’ll do completely on my own, but didn’t want to cut through the roof…) I provided all materials, when all done an said, I paid the contractor 2400 - I had 4 different estimates done, all with contractors I work with on a regular basis and their estimate was not only the best but they were the best to work with, one of the days I worked side by side with one of the crew…
Yeah I think the price my neighbor gave me is pretty good, just not too sure about the $500 for a plumber to come in for one day. If he is there for 5 hours that is $100/hr he is making…just think his rate is a little steep…considering my neighbor will be there helping him the entire time.
I asked around and from what I gathered is if I had a big company come in and do the job then that is the “going” rate. Which is understood considering there is overhead to pay for. But for a guy doing work on the side that is going to have help the entire day it is a bit high. I have a few people I am waiting to get back to me to see what they would charge. I am hoping it is in the $250-$300 range…
Are you really “helping?” I wouldn’t want someone helping me put a headgasket on their car if they have no idea what they are doing - it will actually be counter-help, making the job longer. You would be surprised what 1 headache/problem could cost you in the long run. Just cough the $$$ up and enjoy the education.
I talked to B&R Construiction and they are booked up past December…so that will not work for me. They told me a “fair” price considering the walls will be gone should be in the $250-$300 range. Anyone on here a licensed plumber or know one that could give me a quote? Good side job.
It is my soon to be father in law. He does mostly new construction plumbing up at the Villa’s but does anything. Give him a call, he calls me Whitey so just tell him you are a friend.